Ritornello
by Double-Elle
Summary: Looking at the girl on the floor with eyes glued to the playbook, she saw shadows of her younger self in her. - Based on Chapter Four of the Coda spin-off, Nagi-centric, implied Kousei/Nagi
November had arrived once again in cool autumn weather, and with it, the greatly anticipated Kurumigaoka School Festival had now gone into full gear, leaving both teachers and students in the middle school campus in a state of blurred frenzy and intense busyness. Programs from the usual food stalls to the most downright bizarre performances (say, for instance, the beloved Namahage skit) attracted audiences of all sorts from outside the district, whether they be young or old, lacking or incredibly well-versed in all things music.

It wasn't all fun and games, however. For the ones that were in the music hall, tension thick enough to cut with a knife covered over the entire area, enveloping both audience members and performers alike. It was a dark reality for the students of this prestigious academy, where even a simple school festival could be the one thing that could make or break a budding musician's future career, and where the best of the best get their first exposure to the cruel and judging dog-eats-dog world of classical music.

Backstage, with all the students that were fretting around with performance anxiety, there was one girl out of them who had other things in her mind just then. This girl, Nagi Aiza, was the one of the campus idols in the school; ever since her four-hands duet performance of the Sleeping Beauty Waltz with Kousei Arima in her first year, her skills as a pianist have skyrocketed alongside her reputation. A more relaxed aura surrounded the young woman and the two friends she had around her, clearly gained from experience from the previous two festivals. However, at that moment, there was also a sudden sense of annoyance that came from her, and it had to do with the person calling on the other end of her cellphone.

(Honestly, she thought, what would it take for that guy to finally call her "Nagi" by now?)

And as she told that guy for the millionth time to stop worrying about what her brother had to say about their "lover's spat," Satsuki and Komugi, the two friends who had been trying to quiet her down had suddenly spotted a young underclassman girl nearby. Chabo, as they called her (most likely a nickname than her actual one, hopefully), was crouched down on the floor, softly humming the sonata in the playbook that her eyes had appeared to be glued on, preparing for her accompanist role later on with Toshiya Miike.

It was a nostalgic scene, she thought at first. She remembered how she was exactly like that that two years ago, nerves and all.

"So you're the Chabo I've been hearing about?"

Chabo's eyes sparkled in wonder as soon as she saw her.

 _"So this poor girl was Crusher Miike's latest victim, huh?"_ she thought with utter disdain for her violinist rival.

Nagi gave the freshman a sudden hug, practically surprising her. "You've done well, enduring what Miike has put you through. He's such a perv," she said in a sincerely sympathetic tone, remembering all the horror stories of previous accompanists that were under the violinist before. "I'll do anything to help, if it means putting Miike through a living hell."

"Ah, no," Chabo answered her shyly, "Miike-senpai has been a perfect gentleman. He's the kind of person who gives his heart and body to music."

Right as she said it, Nagi had a sense of what might have been going on. She was right a while ago in seeing her younger self in Chabo, and now she could tell that Miike was instilling in her a deeper love and passion for the music they played, just like a certain pianist did for her back then.

She could only smile back warmly at her.

"Aaahhh, thank you so much!" Chabo continued enthusiastically. "You gave encouragement to me, your enemy!"

Nagi remembered back to a time she said a similar thing to Seto-sensei when she asked her why she took her in as Kousei's student. She also remembers all of the other musicians she had met later on who said the same thing to her whenever she encouraged them in some form. Looking back on all of it, she could only laugh at just how many times she's heard that silly and common sentiment.

"How cliché."

A part of her also thought it funny, seeing the startled expressions on their faces whenever she replied back with that phrase she loved so much. Well, it really was overused to her, after all.

"You aren't my enemy, aren't you a colleague who walks the same musical path as I do?" This pep talk, she thought, would hopefully set this girl straight sooner like it did for her back then. Life was too short to make enemies out of potential allies, as she's learned these past few years.

"Aiza," another voice suddenly chimed in from behind. Speak of the devil, she'd recognize that voice anywhere without having to look at that ugly, glasses-framed muh of his. "Don't you go putting pressure on my accompanist! This is between you and me!"

It was right at that exact moment that whatever was keeping Nagi's composure in check had finally snapped.

"What makes you think that I was applying pressure?" she said through gritted teeth and glaring eyes as her friends tried to restrain her, "I don't need to apply pressure to beat you up again!"

"What do you mean by again?! And why are you aiming for the same school as I am? Go on the normal escalator school path!"

And as they continued once again with their petty bickering over insults and bragging about having Kousei Arima's phone number, a student in charge of the program nervously jumped in to interrupt them. "Um…sorry to interrupt, but it's Miike's turn. Well, soon at least."

With their verbal lashouts finally ending on them deciding their rivalry on the festival stage once again, Nagi took a short pause before she continued with what she wanted to say.

"Miike."

"What is it?!"

"My teacher is coming," she faced away from him, trying hard to hide the small hint of pink she knew was forming on her cheeks. Honestly, blushing about the guy even by just mentioning about him? This was so cliché, even for her.

She didn't have to look back to see the sparkle in his eyes after she said it.

"Ohoho, that has nothing to do with me!" Miike responded smugly, the spark in his eyes immediately lighting up into an inferno of fiery determination. It wouldn't take a genius to know that he was obviously fired up now. Figures.

"Break a leg!" Nagi said, giving Chabo an encouraging pat on the back, "the piano is waiting for you."

 _"And not just the piano,"_ she thought, _"everyone out there is waiting as well, ready to listen to you."_

And as she gets one last look at the two pair getting ready to go on stage, Nagi can firmly say, without a doubt in her mind, that history was repeating itself once again, bringing in a new set of musicians firmly on the path that they all share together.

She could say that the whole thing felt like a cliché, but she guessed that even overdone tropes could be a good thing when done right sometimes.

* * *

A/N: This was something I've wanted to write ever since I kept (re)reading the fourth chapter in the Coda spin-off. The way how things seem to be going around in a cycle with a new pair of musicians was what caught my attention the most here, and I thought this would be a good chance where i could make a Nagi-centric fic. The fact that the last day of KimiUso week on Tumblr was a free day gave me the push to finish it now. I wanted to write in more about whatever the heck was implied between Kousei and Nagi there, but that's probably another fic for another time.


End file.
